Toy hopper



June 26, 1956 B. c. KLINT 2 TOY HOPPER Filed July 1., 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TTQmE-Yf B. C. KLlNT June 26, 1956 TOY HOPPER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 1, 1952 lint-"- CMA, W $417 mmmi'ff- ,IMVBMTOR 5 ev'nqrcl C2 United States Patent 6 TOY HOPPER Bernard C. Klint, Rockford, Ill.

Application July 1, 1952, Serial No. 296,640

4 Claims. (Cl. 46-214) This invention relates to a hopper type toy simulating the operation and appearance of a vehicle having a hopper with clamshell type bottom dump gates.

One object of the invention is to provide a novel mechanism which swings the gates in a toy hopper of the above character with a motion closely resembling that of the actual hopper.

Another object is to provide for swinging both gates simultaneously by moving a single operating handle longitudinally of the hopper.

A further object is to construct and arrange the parts of the gate actuating mechanism so that they may be made as sheet metal stampings.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a toy hopper embodying the novel features of the present invetnion.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1 with some of the parts broken away.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of some of the parts of the gate actuating mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 44 of Fig. 5 showing the parts in the gate closed position. v

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the parts in the gate open position.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view showing the gates in their open positions.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the parts of the gate actuating mechanism.

in the drawings, the invention is shown for purposes of illustration embodied in a mechanical toy hopper which is built accurately to scale to resemble as closely as possible the appearance and operation of an actual commercial vehicle. The hopper shown comprises generally a rectangular box or hopper 10 having a bottom opening 11 closed by dump gates 12. Projecting from the rear end wall 13 of the box is a frame member 14 having parallel side walls 15 and supported on two wheels 16. A front frame member 17 rigid with and projecting forwardly of the front end wall 18 of the box is supported by a tractor 19 with which it has a swivel connection 20.

The gates 12 are of the clamshell type, being generally rectangular in shape and of an arcuate cross section. Rigid with and upstanding from opposite ends of each gate are arms 22 which lie adjacent the outer sides of the end walls 13 and 18 and, at their free ends, are

suspended from rivets 23 which provide for swinging ice to their open positions above the opening and along the side walls of the box as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the arms are moved apart and swung upwardly about their pivots.

In full size commercial hoppers, the dump gates are swung between their open and closed positions hydraulically by piston type motors. Such hydraulic operation being impractical in toys, the present invention contemplates actuating the gates 12 the same way as in the commercial vehicle but through the use of a different manually operable mechanism. This mechanism comprises a single lever 24 connected to the arms 22 and mounted outside of one end of the box 10 to swing in a plane extending longitudinally of the latter. Mounting the lever to swing in this direction enables the gates to be actuated without any tendency toward lateral tipping of the toy since the hopper is supported at points widely spaced both laterally and longitudinally of the vehicle.

in the present instance, the lever 24 is a bell crank of generally L-shape fulcrumed near the corner of the L on a horizontal shaft 25 which is parallel to and spaced rearwardly from the rear end wall 13 of the box 10 and spans the parallel side walls 15 of the rear frame member 14. The longer leg 26 of the lever extends upwardly to constitute a readily accessible handle which is swingable back and forth longitudinally of the box between a substantially vertical gate open position (Fig. 6) and a gate closed position (Fig. 5) in which the handle projects forwardly and overlies the rear end of the hopper. The other or short leg 27 extends forwardly from the shaft in a generally horizontal direction for connection with the arms 22.

To facilitate swinging of the gates 12 about their longitudinal axis when the bell crank 24 is swung about its transverse axis, the lever and the arms 22 are connected through a slide 28 which is movable upwardly on the outer side of the rear end wall box 13 to separate the arms 22 and open the gates 12 and downwardly to move the arms together and close the gates. In this instance, the slide is an elongated sheet metal stamping which is horizontally disposed and is of U-shaped cross section with parallel upper and lower walls 29 and 30 connected by a vertical bottom wall 31 spaced rearwardly from the box end wall 13.

The connection between the horizontally projecting short leg 27 of the lever and the slide 28 is preferably made at two points spaced along the latter on opposite sides of the pivot 23 so that no guides are necessary to hold the slide in a horizontal position while it is moving vertically. To accomplish this, the lever leg 27 is bifurcated and the bottom wall 31 of the slide is slotted vertically as indicated at 32 (Fig. 8), the lever ends projecting through the slots and in between the parallel walls 29 and 3t) of the slide. Thus, the lever ends bear against the upper slide wall and raise the slide as the handle is swung backwardly about its axis and against the lower side wall to lower the slide as the handle is swung forwardly.

To connect the slide to the arms 22 at the rear of the box it ears 34 extending rearwardly and bent out from lugs 35 integral with the arms, are received by and bear against the upper and lower parallel walls 29 and 3t? of the slide in the vertical movement of the latter. The lugs 35 which cooperate with the arms to form gate actuating levers are short and fiat and project laterally and outwardly from the arms in the plane of the latter and at points spaced at short distance therealong from the pivot 23.

Movement of the slide 28 outwardly away from the box end wall 13 in the vertical movement of the slide is prevented by lugs 36 which are bent down from and project outwardly beyond opposite ends of the lower slide wall 3% and are received in vertical slots 37 (Fig. 5). The latter are defined by the box end wall 13 and the edges of cut-out portions of the parallel walls 15 of the rear frame member. The upper ends of these slots may be located to provide stops engageable with the lugs 36 to limit upward movement of the slide and the gates 12. Location of these stops need not be accurate, however, since the upper ends of recesses 38 of the forward frame member 17 which receives the arms 22 at the front of the box may be located to provide stops 3? for limiting upward swinging of the gates as shown in Fig. 2.

Downward movement of the slide 28 is limited by engagement of its upper wall 29 with the tops of the ears 34 when the gates swing into abutting engagement under the box as shown in Fig. 4. To facilitate reciprocation of the slide along the adjacent box wall 13 hearing lugs 41 may be bent up from opposite ends of the upper wall 2? of the slide and both walls thereof may be cut away as shown at 42 for movement of the walls relative to and along the arms and across the pivot.

To hold the gates 22 automatically in their upper or open positions when the handle is released after raising the gates, the arms are preferably connected by a spring 43 which is movable overcenter, that is, upwardly and across the pivot 23, during the separation movement of the arms to open the gates. In this instance, the spring which is of the contractile type is stretched between the cars 34 and is disposed within the slide and between the bifurcated ends of the short lever leg 27 as permitted by the spacing of the latter along the slide. The ears are located on the arms so that they are disposed above the pivot 23 when the gates are in their open positions and below the pivot in the closed positions of the gates. With this construction, the spring urges the arms together and thus holds the gates in their closed positions after it passes below the pivot 23. It also holds the gates in their open positions after moving across and above the pivot.

When the gates are closed as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the ears 34 of the gate levers are disposed below their pivot 23, the slide 28 and the bifurcated leg 27 of the bell crank lever 2-; are disposed in their lower positions, and the handle 26 is inclined forwardly and abuts against the top of the rear box end wall 13 which limits its forward movement. To raise the gates to their open positions (see Figs. 1, 2, 6, and 7), the handle 26 is moved upwardly and rearwardly, the bifurcated leg 27 in this movement bearing against the upper wall 25 of the slide to move the latter upwardly, the lower wall of the slide in turn bearing against the bottom edges of the ears 34 to separate the arms 22. As soon as the spring 43 passes overcenter, the ears 34 are urged together thereby and the gates 12 are swung upwardly toward their open positions. Such upward movement of the gates is limited either by engagement between the front arms 22 and the stops 39 on the forward frame member 17 or the lugs 36 on the slide and the stops on the rear frame member 14. Backward swinging of the handle 26 is limited in an upright position thereof by shoulders 44 (Fig. 6) formed on the short lever leg 27 to engage the underside wall 30 of the slide as shown in Fig. 6.

The spring 43 continues to urge the arms together and thereby automatically holds the gates in their open positions until it is moved downwardly and back overcenter. To lower the gates 12 to their closed positions, the handle 26 is swung from its upright position (see Figs. 1 and 6) forwardly to urge the slide downwardly until the spring 43 passes overcenter. At this time, the gates are urged downwardly both by the spring and by their own weight into abutting relation under the box whereby to cover the opening 11 thereof.

it will be seen from the foregoing that the novel gate actuating mechanism above described is very simple in operation and requires very few parts. Also, nearly all of the latter may be made easily from sheet metal.

1 claim as my invention:

1. In a toy, the combination of, a box-like body having a bottom opening and wheels for positioning the body above a supporting surface, clamshell gates for closing said opening and having arms upstanding from opposite ends, means pivotally connecting the free ends of the cor-.

responding arms to said body for swinging of the gates about an axis extending longitudinally of said body and spaced above said opening, said arms at one end of said body having elements thereon movable back and forth between positions higher and lower than said axis in the movement of said gates between open and closed positions, a contractile spring stretched between said elements for movement across said axis in the movement of said gates between said open and closed positions, a member mounted on said body to slide vertically along one end thereof, means connecting said member and said arms to swing the latter aparts as the member is raised, and a bell crank lever mounted on said body to swing about an axis extending transversely thereof and spaced outwardly from said member, said bell crank having one leg bearing upwardly against said member to raise the latter and an upstanding leg constituting a handle movable longitudinally of said body.

2. In a toy, the combination of, a body having a hopper with a bottom opening and wheels for positioning the hopper above a supporting surface, pivots at opposite ends of said body defining a longitudinal central axis, a pair of arms at each end of said body pivotally connected together and suspended from the adjacent pivot, gates for closing said opening carried by said arms and movable from closed positions across the opening to open positions by swinging of the arms apart, the arms of one of said pairs having elements movable above and below said axis in the movement of said gates between said open and closed positions, a lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends on said body outwardly beyond one pair of arms to swing in a plane extending longitudinally of the body, means connecting one leg of said lever to said arms to separate the latter as the lever is swung in one direction, the other leg of said lever constituting a handle movable longitudinally of said body, and a spring acting at opposite ends on said elements and movable to an overcenter position to hold said gates open as an incident to swinging of the arms to open said gates...

3 In a toy, the combination of, a body having a hopper with a bottom opening and wheels for locating the hopper above a supporting surface, pivots at opposite ends of said body paralleling the longitudinal axis thereof, two pairs of arms located at opposite ends of said body and suspended from said pivots, gates carried by the outer ends of said arms and movable therewith from closed positions across said opening to open positions by swinging of the arms away from each other, short arms integral with the arms of one of said pairs at one end of said body and projecting outwardly from the arm pivots and transversely of said axis so as to swing upwardly and downwardly with said arms to open and close said gates, ears formed integral with the outer ends of said short arms and bent outwardly therefrom away from said box end, a member of U-shaped cross section mounted on said body end for bodily vertical movement and having laterally spaced legs straddling and bearing against said ears, and manually operable means for raising and lowering said member.

4. In a toy, the combination of, a body having a hopper with a bottom opening and wheels for locating the hopper above a supporting surface, pivots at opposite ends of said body paralleling the longitudinal axis thereof, two pairs of arms located at opposite ends of said body and suspended from said pivots, gates carried by the outer ends of said arms and movable therewith from closed positions across said opening to open positions by swinging of the arms away from each other, short arms rigid with the arms of one of said pairs and projecting outwardly from the arm pivots so as to swing upwardly and downwardly with said arms to open and close said gates, a member mounted on said body for bodily vertical movement and having bearing eng g with the ii n i free, ends of said short arms, an a l Crank level 5 1,731,040 k2 (5 8 crumed intermediate its 16g en 0 1 Said y outwardly 1 599 ii 111; u 11 1933 beyond one pair of arms to swing in a pl n extending 2268290 L y 30 longitudinally of the body, one Of Said leg ends constitut" 2 42 533 S' 1s 7 i g a handle, and the other of said leg End being P I lmmons ct.

erably connected to said member for raising and lower- 10 ing said member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

